


In the Moment

by yamihere



Category: No Fandom, Original Work
Genre: Co-workers, Confrontations, Encounter, Gen, in the moment, kiss, work buddies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-13
Updated: 2019-05-13
Packaged: 2020-03-02 10:21:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,497
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18809212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yamihere/pseuds/yamihere
Summary: She's been avoiding you and you're going to find out why.





	In the Moment

**Author's Note:**

> This is not proofread so feel free to point out any grammatical errors. Anyways, enjoy!

You sweep her in with one arm. She stumbles forward and she freezes when she meets your chest. You wonder if she feels your rabbit heart beat. She tries to move back but you gently press her closer. Her shoulders quiver as she lets out a long breath but she doesn’t look up. You cup her chin with hand and gently lift it. Her throat bobs as she swallows hard and averts her eyes. You can feel the heat of her cheeks as you get closer and your eyes widen.

_Oh_ , you think. _She does feel it._ The growing static between you and her _._ You thought you were going crazy.

“We can’t,” she whispers so low you wouldn’t catch it if you weren’t inches from her face.

“I shouldn’t,” she continues in the same low whisper. Your eyes lower to her mouth when she licks her chapped lips tentatively. Words become stuck in your throat so you settle for an inquisitive hm.

“You’re…” she starts and her eyes jump everywhere except at your eyes. She’s been avoiding being alone with you ever since Lucille’s comment about “how thick, no, thick with two C’s, the sexual tension is between you two” when you and the others hung out at work. At first you laughed it off with the group, not missing the wiggling eyebrows of Keith. You dismissed the tension was one-sided until she said, “Am I that obvious?” The whole group had paused to gawk at her. Her eyes bulged out of her eyes when she realized she verbally broadcasted her thought. And since then, she avoided being alone with him at every turn. It’s not like you saw her out of work, you didn’t even have her number. It was weird given her confrontation nature with unfair customers, bosses, or comrades that said things out of line. You admire her for it so you are at loss when you found that you could only catch her shadow. Until now.

Before she has a chance to worm her way out of this, you move in and close the gap. Your soft lips meet her rough lips. Her lips tense in a thin line for a second before it relaxes. The world becomes more suspended and your heart leaps in your throat when she melts into you and flicks her tongue timidly into your mouth. Leaning closer, you welcome her tongue with yours. She pulls back, searching your eyes with her brown ones before pulling your head to hers and exploring you. The dead skin of her lips blends in with the rest of her lips as the moisture of yours meshes with hers and you resist the urge to playfully bite onto her lip. Any wrong move could end this as quickly as it started. As soon as you finish the thought, you both separate breathless.

“Wow,” she says when she catches her breath, echoing your thoughts.

You just stare. Then, she chuckles and shakes her head. It morphs into a nervous, mirthless chuckle. “That shouldn’t have happened.”

The way she licks the moisture from her lips makes you tightly suck in air. You clear your throat and baffled you ask, “Why not?”

She takes a step back like she’s trying to rewind time. The ghost of a smile from her lips disappears and she puts on her blank mask. “I’m not attr—“

You roll your eyes and cross your arms. “Stop. That’s bullshit and you know it. Our friends don’t even believe it. I didn’t take you for a person that would lie to herself given your ‘honesty above all’ policy.”

The mask crumbles a little and she purses her lips.

“I just… I can’t do this right now,” she says with finality but you’re not satisfied with that.

“Why not?”

She digs her nails into her arm absently and a train of words hit you. You wonder if she’s breathing with how fast she’s talking. There’s an unmistakable wave of sadness in her eyes.

 “I’m not good with commitment. Not that’d I’d cheat but remembering anniversaries and meeting people’s parents… not for me. Hell, I don’t even want to get married.” She spits out the word “married” like it’s poison. “And if pigs fly, it’s in my 30s and I would have to have known the person for at least 6 years before tying the knot. Plus, I don’t want kids. I can’t give you what a lot of people want.”

You put up your hand so she can stop the barrage of words.

 “Whoa, slow your roll. I never said anything about kids or marriage.”

She shakes her head like I don’t get it. The veins in her temple bulge as she grinds out, “But that’s what happens.”

A hearty laugh bubbles out of you and she jumps a little in surprise but she she crosses her arms, looking at you annoyed and confused.

“That’s quite the generalization. We’re in our mid-20s. Just because most of our friend group are looking to settle down before we hit 30 doesn’t mean all of us are that way. And who says I want kids?”

She opens her mouth and closes it. She looks away.

“And besides, it’s not like I’ve come up with an elaborate plan to put a ring on you,” you continue. “I just want to get to know you, _know this_ ,” you say and gesture in between you guys. “It’s not like it’s love at first sight or anything. I’d call it intrigue.”

Her shoulders sag with tension you didn’t notice she was carrying. You wish you were offended but you find yourself resisting the urge to double over in laughter when she loudly mutters, “What a relief.”

You run your hair through your hair, not caring that she probably already messed it up earlier. “Anyways, I’m okay with one date. A few more we like where things are going.”

Slow. Nothing serious. Just testing the waters. She closes her eyes and withdraws her hand from her arm, leaving angry marks. She rubs her hand over her chin as if in deep thought. An awkward silence fills in until she breathes in deeply and asks, “What if it’s not like how you expected?”

You perk one eyebrow upwards and grin. “I like surprises. Besides, it’s not serious and it couldn’t hurt to try. It’s just we’ve been ignoring this for a while and I’ve been wondering why.”

The way her lips jerk downward makes a knot of anxiety form in your stomach ache.

She opens her eyes and her lips twitch. It’s not quite a smile but it’s not a frown anymore. You don’t expect her to say yes but it doesn’t hurt to try.

“Okay.”

Your mouth gapes. “Okay?”

“Yeah, just let me know the details,” she says with an uneasy wide smile. “But I kind of have to go. I was supposed bring my brother over to his campus and help him move in this afternoon”

She looks at her phone and curses. “Shit, I’m late!”

Before you can get a word in, she is already turning and speeding away.

“Wait,” you cry out, “you don’t have my—“

“Don’t worry, Luc gave it to me!” she shouts back already disappearing around the corner.

You rub your hand in the back of your head, and it is still tingling from the rough grab earlier during the kiss. “What just happened?” you wonder out loud while trying to get your bearings together.

You think you need a seat or better yet, a drink. Things have taken an unexpected turn. On the drive home, your phone vibrates in your jacket pocket, but you don’t check it until you’re parked in front of your apartment.

Three new text messages from an unfamiliar number.

**Hey, it’s me, dweeb.**

Your heart jumps a little and you enter your password so you can see the rest of the text.

**So, I’m thinking paintballing. Something to get our blood pumping. That and I want to kick your ass for that stunt you pulled so be prepared**. **Just lmk what your schedule looks like next week.**

You scoff as you enter the apartment complex and enter the elevator. Of course, she wanted vengeance and wanted something unconventional but you know you don’t mind. She already gets your blood pumping without doing much.

You get your keys out and unlock your door. Shoes and socks in one direction, paints in the other, you jump onto your couch. Slumping into the couch, you read her last text. Your face struggles to settle on an expression when you read the last text from her.

**Just so you know, I liked that kiss earlier.**

You brush your finger against your lips, tender with telltale of the eventful encounter. She really was going to give you heart palpations. You smile widely as you save her number and text:

**Prepare to eat dust. >:D I’ll let you know tho.  **

Well, this is going to be interesting.

**Author's Note:**

> I was listening to the Tiny Desk concert for H.E.R. and the Going(interlude) captivated me. My mind was filled with so many memories of places and experiences I’ve never had, not in this era. I couldn’t put the memory into words but I wanted to music into something so I played it on loop in the background and let the words flow. Her vocals, piano, and guitar just enhance whatever experience I was in. I can’t even describe it but I’m glad it exists.


End file.
